A Systematic Review of Tracing Solutions in Software Product Lines

Software Product Lines are large-scale, multi-unit systems that enable massive, customized production. They consist of a base of reusable artifacts and points of variation that provide the system with flexibility, allowing generating customized products. However, maintaining a system with such complexity and flexibility could be error prone and time consuming. Indeed, any modification (addition, deletion or update) at the level of a product or an artifact would impact other elements. It would therefore be interesting to adopt an efficient and organized traceability solution to maintain the Software Product Line. Still, traceability is not systematically implemented. It is usually set up for specific constraints (e.g. certification requirements), but abandoned in other situations. In order to draw a picture of the actual conditions of traceability solutions in Software Product Lines context, we decided to address a literature review. This review as well as its findings is detailed in the present article.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 7 table

Requirements traceability in model-driven development: Applying model and transformation conformance

The variety of design artifacts (models) produced in a model-driven design process results in an intricate relationship between requirements and the various models. This paper proposes a methodological framework that simplifies management of this relationship, which helps in assessing the quality of models, realizations and transformation specifications. Our framework is a basis for understanding requirements traceability in model-driven development, as well as for the design of tools that support requirements traceability in model-driven development processes. We propose a notion of conformance between application models which reduces the effort needed for assessment activities. We discuss how this notion of conformance can be integrated with model transformations

Model-based dependability analysis : state-of-the-art, challenges and future outlook

Abstract: Over the past two decades, the study of model-based dependability analysis has gathered significant research interest. Different approaches have been developed to automate and address various limitations of classical dependability techniques to contend with the increasing complexity and challenges of modern safety-critical system. Two leading paradigms have emerged, one which constructs predictive system failure models from component failure models compositionally using the topology of the system. The other utilizes design models - typically state automata - to explore system behaviour through fault injection. This paper reviews a number of prominent techniques under these two paradigms, and provides an insight into their working mechanism, applicability, strengths and challenges, as well as recent developments within these fields. We also discuss the emerging trends on integrated approaches and advanced analysis capabilities. Lastly, we outline the future outlook for model-based dependability analysis

Ontology-based context-sensitive software security knowledge management modeling

The disconcerting increase in the number of security attacks on software calls for an imminent need for including secure development practices within the software development life cycle. The software security management system has received considerable attention lately and various efforts have been made in this direction. However, security is usually only considered in the early stages of the development of software. Thus, this leads to stating other vulnerabilities from a security perspective. Moreover, despite the abundance of security knowledge available online and in books, the systems that are being developed are seldom sufficiently secure. In this paper, we have highlighted the need for including application context sensitive modeling within a case-based software security management system. Furthermore, we have taken the context-driven and ontology-based frameworks and prioritized their attributes according to their weights which were achieved by using the Fuzzy AHP methodology

Automotive Systems Engineering und Functional Safety: The Way Forward

International audienceThe increasing of complexity of safety relevant functions, as well as their implementation on distributed components is one of the major issues in automotive engineering. The situation is additionally tightened by challenges arising from the introduction of ISO26262 standard. It is discussed how a model based systems engineering approach enables the integration of the safety activities into the development process to deal with growing complexity and to improve efficiency as well. Finally the extension of the product line engineering approach to work products of safety activities can lead to the step change required to match the capabilities of engineering departments to the complexities of the task at hand

The GOALS approach: business and software modeling traceability by means of human-computer interaction: enterprise modeling language and method

The management of an enterprise relies on the continuous organization and development of its business and software systems. A process that requires merging the ideas of the enterprise’ systems managers, targeting the specification of business requirements and the conception and implementation of a supporting information system. This process finds obstacles in the identification and communication of requirements, and also in their transformation in software artefacts, leading to difficulties or loss of traceability between business and software models. Existing methods, languages and techniques are still not sufficiently standardized to ensure that when a business improvement is introduced, the supportive software solution will be implemented within budget and time. Methods are still too closed to the concepts of their original scientific domains, conceiving solutions which are not representative of the business and software conceptual relation and of the complexity concealed in an improvement effort, namely concerning usability and user experience. Moreover, the lack of a common modeling language and method for the conception of holistic and traceable software solutions, also refrains the performance of the enterprise development process. The GOALS Approach presents a solution to surpass these barriers by means of the specification of an enterprise modeling language that relates the business and software conceptual structures using a shared set of concepts, a notation, process, method and techniques, that allow the design of the software as a result of the business organization, ensuring traceability by means of the permanent representation of the business structure in the software structure

A model for requirements traceability in an heterogeneous model-based design process. Application to automotive embedded systems

Requirements traceability modeling is a key issue in real-time embedded design process. In such systems, requirements are of different nature (software-related, system-related, functional and non functional) and must be traced through a multi level design flow which integrates multiple and heterogeneous models. Validation and Verification (V&V) activities must be performed on models and on the final product to check if they are matching the initial require-ments. Results of a design and of V&V activities must impact the traceability information. We propose the DARWIN4REQ metamodel for requirement traceability based on three indepen-dent flows (requirement model, solution model and V&V model). The DARWIN4REQ metamodel establishes the link between these flows and allows a full traceability of requirements including the heterogeneous models. This paper presents the DARWIN4REQ metamodel and its use in the context of heterogeneous models for requirement modeling, design and V&V. An automotive application illustrates the approach with SYSML, EAST_ADL2 and MARTE for the design and SIMULINK, SyNDEx and TIMESQUARE for V&V activities

Overcoming Language Dichotomies: Toward Effective Program Comprehension for Mobile App Development

Mobile devices and platforms have become an established target for modern software developers due to performant hardware and a large and growing user base numbering in the billions. Despite their popularity, the software development process for mobile apps comes with a set of unique, domain-specific challenges rooted in program comprehension. Many of these challenges stem from developer difficulties in reasoning about different representations of a program, a phenomenon we define as a "language dichotomy". In this paper, we reflect upon the various language dichotomies that contribute to open problems in program comprehension and development for mobile apps. Furthermore, to help guide the research community towards effective solutions for these problems, we provide a roadmap of directions for future work.Comment: Invited Keynote Paper for the 26th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Program Comprehension (ICPC'18

Traceability -- A Literature Review

In light of recent food safety crises and international trade concerns associated with food or animal associated diseases, traceability has once again become important in the minds of public policymakers, business decision makers, consumers and special interest groups. This study reviews studies on traceability, government regulation and consumer behaviour, provide case studies of current traceability systems and a rough breakdown of various costs and benefits of traceability. This report aims to identify gaps that may currently exist in the literature on traceability in the domestic beef supply chain, as well as provide possible directions for future research into said issue. Three main conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, there is a lack of a common definition of traceability. Hence identifying similarities and differences across studies becomes difficult if not impossible. To this end, this study adopts CFIA’s definition of traceability. This definition has been adopted by numerous other agencies including the EU’s official definition of traceability however it may or may not be acceptable from the perspective of major Canadian beef and cattle trade partners. Second, the studies reviewed in this report address one or more of five key objectives; the impact of changing consumer behaviour on market participants, suppliers incentive to adopt or participate in traceability, impact of regulatory changes, supplier response to crisis and technical description of traceability systems. Drawing from the insights from the consumer studies, it seems as if consumers do not value traceability per se, traceability is a means for consumers to receive validation of another production or process attribute that they are interested in. Moreover, supply chain improvement, food safety control and accessing foreign market segments are strong incentives for primary producers and processors to participate in programs with traceability features. However the objectives addressed by the studies reviewed in this paper are not necessarily the objectives that are of most immediate relevance to decision makers about appropriate traceability standards to recommend, require, subsidize etc. In many cases the research objectives of previous work have been extremely narrow creating a body of literature that is incomplete in certain key areas. Third, case studies of existing traceability systems in Australia, the UK, Scotland, Brazil and Uruguay indicate that the pattern of development varies widely across sectors and regions. In summary, a traceability system by itself cannot provide value-added for all participants in the industry; it is merely a protocol for documenting and sharing information. Value is added to participants in the marketing chain through traceability in the form of reduced transactions costs in the case of a food safety incident and through the ability to shift liability. To ensure consumer benefit and have premiums returned to primary producers the type of information that consumers value is an important issue for future research. A successful program that peaks consumer interest and can enhance their eating experience can generate economic benefits to all sectors in the beef industry. International market access will increasingly require traceability in the marketing system in order to satisfy trade restrictions in the case of animal diseases and country of origin labelling, to name only a few examples. Designing appropriate traceability protocols industry wide is therefore becoming very important.traceability, institutions, Canada, consumer behaviour, producer behaviour, supply chain, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing, Production Economics, D020, D100, D200, Q100,